Sole fastening unit for a conveyorized shoe making machine



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 7, 1963 J. RICHTER ETAL some FASTENING UNIT FOR A CONVEYORIZED SHOE MAKING MACHINE Filed April 11, 1962 May 7, 1963 J. RICHTER ETAL SOLE FASTENING UNIT FOR A CONVEYORIZED SHOE MAKING MACHINE Filed April 11, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 YT/"7 1 2 iak/ fer/70:6

Kan/ma May 7, 1963 J. RICHTER ETAL SOLE FASTENINGUNIT FOR A CONVEYORIZED SHOE MAKING MACHINE Filed April 11, 19 62 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR5 Z /Ifk May 7, 1963 J. RICHTER ETAL 3,088,143

SOLE FASTENING UNIT FOR A CONVEYORIZED SHOE MAKING MACHINE Filed April 11, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS 77h 531m? 467/4 Zak/20:6

MM w/a r United States Patent 3 088 143 SOLE FASTENING UNIT i on A CONVEYORIZED SHOE MAKVING MACHINE Jii'i Richter and Karel Cernoch, both of Gottwaldov,

This invention relates to automatic conveyorized shoe making machinery, and more particularly to a sole fastening unit for such conveyorized machinery.

Soles are adhered to the bottom parts of pre-assembled Vamps by coating the soles, the Vamps or both with a pressure sensitive adhesive, placing the soles on the vamps while the same are held on lasts, and exerting pressure on the soles. This process is slow and requires much manual labor. Where the necessary pressure is generated by the effort of a worker, the physical labor involved is very great, and the results are not readily predictable.

On conveyorized shoe making machinery, it has been conventional to clamp the soles to the lasted vamps and to let the necessary clamping means travel with the lasts on the conveyor. Such a mode of operation requires a conveyor of great length since the sole fastening operation alone occupies a sizable portion of the conveyor. The attaching and removal of the clamping means is of necessity manual.

It is an object of this invention to eliminate the labor required for fastening soles to lasted Vamps after the soles have been placed on the vamps with a layer of adhesive interposed between the sole and vamp.

Another object is the provision of conveyorized shoe making machinery in which the sole attaching unit occupies but very little floor space, and does not significantly contribute to the overall length of the conveyor path.

A further object is the provision of an automatic sole fastening unit which is simple in design and not liable to break down in continuous operation.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a small-scale side elevation of a conveyorized shoe making machine of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a sole fastening unit of the machine of FIG. 1 in a perspective View on a larger scale;

FIG. 3 shows the unit of FIG. 2 in fragmentary front elevation, with part of the supporting structure broken away to reveal the working elements of the unit which is in an operative position different from that illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows another portion of the unit of FIG. 2 in partial sectional front elevation;

FIG. 5 shows a control valve of the unit of FIG. 2, the

view being inside elevational section, and on an enlarged ice which the machine is partly enclosed are not shown to reveal the working elements of the conveyor.

A conveyor 1 which travels in a closed loop connects the several units of the machine which include an oven 3. A fan 4 circulates air in the oven in a path indicated by broken arrows, and finally discharges it through an exhaust duct 5. The conveyor is trained over guide pulleys 6 some of which are arranged in the oven. The machine is driven by an electric motor 7 the continuously rotating output shaft of which is connected to a transmission 8 which includes an indexing arrangement, such as a Geneva wheel arrangement by means of which the conveyor 1 is intermittently advanced. The operating units of the machine are also energized by the motor 7 in a conventional manner as will presently become apparent.

The conveyor 1 moves in the direction of the arrow S. It is composed of hingedly connected plates 20 each of which has a last 30 releasably attached thereto. The several plates 20 jointly constitute the belt of the conveyor. Work is performed on Vamps pulled over the lasts 30 as they travel over a horizontal conveyor section I. The several machine units or work stations are spaced apart a distance which is equal to the spacing of the lasts 30 on the conveyor links 20 or to an integral multiple thereof. The location of two work stations is indicated in FIG. 1 at g and h.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sole fastening unit of the machine of FIG. 1, with which this invention is more particularly concerned. The unit is fixedly attached to the frame of the conveyor 1 of which two horizontal channels 2 are visible. The hinge pins 19 which connect adjacent plates 20 of the conveyor project laterally from the plates and their projecting ends carry ball bearing rollers 21 by means of which the plates 20 travel on tracks 22 mounted on the conveyor frame. Each plate 20 has a last 30 releasably mounted thereon. A shoe 31 is carried by the last 30 through the several operations performed on the machine.

The sole fastening unit of the invention is mounted on two flat upright standards 101, 102 which connect the two channels 2 and are fastened thereto by angle pieces 151, 152 and machine screws 153. The standards 101, 102 are spaced from each other in the direction of conveyor movement indicated by the arrow S, and are connected by a'bottom plate 148. They are further connected by a plate 125 the outer face of which is flat whereas its inner face directed toward the conveyor is serrated to constitute a rack as better seen in the sectional front-elevational detail view of FIG. 3.

Ball bearing rollers 103 are mounted on the narrow edges of the standards 101, 102 to provide substantially frictionless guidance in the direction of the double arrow B for the vertical movement of a supporting bracket comprising two members 104, 105 each having two elongated portions disposed at right angles to each other. The vertically extending portions of the members 104, 105 are respectively guided by the rollers on the standards 101, 102. The other portions of the bracket members extend horizontally to a point above the conveyor links 20. The two bracket members are rigidly connected by connecting members 106, 106', and 159. As is best seen from the sectional views of FIGS. 4 and 6, a sheet metal shell 107 which forms a downwardly open trough is pivotally fastened to the free ends of the horizontal bracket portions by a bolt 108. The shell 107 is also fastened to the members 104, 105 at a point spaced from the free ends thereof by a tension spring 109'. The relative position of the shell 107 and of the bracket members 104, 105 is adjusted by means of a screw 110 against which the shell 107 abuts under the urging of the spring 109. The screw 110 threadedly engages a cross piece 111 which is mounted between the members 104, 105 on screws 112.

The free edge of the shell 107 is enlarged to form a fixed flange to which a movable flange 117 is bolted. The flange 117 is a flat sheet metal frame. A resilient membrane 116 is fastened between the flanges and substantially closes the shell 107. The cavity of the shell is occupied by an expandable cushion 113 of elastomeric material which is connected to a supply of compressed air by an inlet tube 114 and a flexible hose 115 in a manner that will become apparent presently.

Reverting now to FIG. 2, there is seen a shaft 65 which extends longitudinally of the conveyor frame channels 2, and is journaled on the conveyor frame in a manner not further illustrated. The shaft is built up of several longitudinally consecutive sections associated with respective operative units of the machine and connected by couplings 66. One coupling and portions of two adjacent sections of the shaft 65 are visible in FIG. 2. The shaft 65 is geared to the output shaft of the electric motor 7 in a conventional non-illustrated manner so that the movements of the shaft 65 are synchronized with those of the conveyor 1.

The section of the shaft 65 associated with the sole fastening unit of the invention carries three flanges 160 only two of which are visible in FIG. 2. Cams 126, 137, and 139 are fastened to respective flanges 160 by bolts 161 which engage respective circumferentially elongated slots in the flanges 160, whereby the angular positions of the cams 126, 137, and 139 on the shaft 65 may be adjusted. The cams rotate with the shaft 65 in the direction of the arrows P, R.

The cams 137 and 139 cooperate with a control valve assembly A of which only a casing 133 is seen in FIG. 2. The valve assembly A communicates with the cushion 113 through the flexible hose 115 mentioned above in connection with the description of FIG. 4. Compressed air for expanding the cushion 113 is drawn from a non illustrated supply line through a manually operable shutoff valve 128 and an adjustable pressure reducing valve 129, which are mounted on the standard 101. The air is fed to the valve assembly A by a flexible tube 130. The valve assembly casing 133 is secured to the standard 101 by a bracket 132.

A bracket 140 projects from the standards 101, 102 toward the path of the lasts 30 on the conveyor links 20. A slide 141 is adjustable horizontally on the bracket toward and away from the lasts and carries a bar 143 which supports the toe portion of the last while pressure is exerted upon it in a vertically downward direction during operation of the sole fastening unit. The adjusted position of the slide 141 is fixed by a set screw 142.

The standards 101, 102 have vertically elongated slots 101, 102 above the level of the shaft 65. Slot 102 only is seen in FIG. 2. The slots have a length somewhat greater than the stroke of the vertical movement of the bracket 104, 105 and give access to vertically spaced paired openings 144, 145, 146 in the bracket members 104, 105. The lower limit of the vertical stroke of the bracket 104, 105 is determined by an adjustable stop 147 which threadedly engages the bottom plate 148 between the standards 101, 102 and abuts against the connecting member 106 when the bracket 104, 105 is in its lowest position.

The manner in which the continuously rotating shaft 65 actuates vertical reciprocating movement of the bracket 104, 105 is best understood from FIG. 3 which shows a portion of the unit of FIG. 2 in front elevation with the standard 102 partly broken away and other elements including the shaft 65 shown in section.

A pin 145' is supported in bearings formed by openings 145 of the bracket members 104, 105. If desired, the pin 145' may also be inserted in the paired openings 144 or 146 of the bracket members, whereby the operation of the sole attaching unit may be adapted to lasts of different size as will become evident as the disclosure proceeds.

A bellcrank lever 118 is rotatable on the pin 145'. The arm 119 of the lever 118 has a free end 123 which is shaped to constitute a ratchet and is urged into ratcheting engagement with the rack 125 by a compression spring 124 abutting against the connecting member 106'. The other arm 120 of the lever 118 carries a pin 121 on which a ball bearing roller 122 is rotatably fastened. The roller 122 is adapted to travel on the cam face of the cam 126, and is normally moved toward engagement with the cam face by the weight of the bracket 104, and of the elements supported thereon.

The cam face has two portions of substantially cylindrical shape but different diameter, the major portion of the cam face having a smaller diameter, and about one eighth of the cam face having a larger diameter. The two cam face portions are connected by inclined ramps. The clockwise pivoting movement of the lever 118, as viewed in FIG. 3, induced by travel of the roller 122 over one of the inclined ramps from the major toward the minor cylindrical portion of the cam 126 is limited by an adjustable abutment 127 projecting from the bracket member 104 into the path of the lever arm 120. After the arm reaches a position of contact with the abutment 127, further radially outward travel of the roller 122 on the cam 126 lifts the bracket 104, 1115. The clockwise movement of the lever 118 is opposed by the spring 124 and causes disengagement of the ratchet 123 from the rack before the bracket 104, 105 is lifted.

The valve assembly A is shown in FIG. 5 in elevational section substantially through the axis of the shaft 65 The casing 133 consists of a lower portion 131 formed with a cavity which is closed by a cover 135. A flexible diaphragm 134 is clamped between the lower casing portion 131 and the cover 135 and forms an airtight seal between the cover and the valve cavity. Two plungers 136, 138 are movable in the cover 135 into and out of the valve cavity as indicated by double arrows C and D, for actuating movement of the diaphragm 134.

Ports and 154 in the lower valve casing portion 131 are respectively connected to the flexible hose 115 and the tube 130, and communicate with the valve cavity by bores 156 and 157. The bore 156 is axially aligned with the plunger 136 so that its orifice in the valve cavity may be selectively blocked by the diaphragm 134 when the plunger 136 is forced inward of the cavity by the cam 137. The pressure of compressed air in the cavity tends to move the diaphragm 134 away from the orifice of the bores 156 and 157.

The plunger 138 is aligned with the orifice of a bore 158 in the valve cavity. A helical compression spring 149 in the bore 158 urges the diaphragm 134 away from the bore orifice and holds the plunger 157 in engagement with the cam face of the cam 139. The bore 158 is open to the atmosphere through a port in the lower casing portion 131.

The cams 126, 137, and 139 are angularly positioned on the shaft 65, and connected to the drive of the conveyor 1 for synchronizing the movements of the apparatus illustrated which operates in the following manner:

A shoe upper or vamp is pulled over each last 30 as the same stops at the location g on the conveyor 1. A sole which may have a heel and a counter reinforcing portion fastened thereto is placed in position on the vamp. Either the sole or the vamp bottom or both are pre-coated with an adhesive. During the next indexing step of the conveyor 1, the vamp with sole placed thereon moves to position h where the sole fastening unit of the invention is located.

During this indexing step, the roller 122 travels over the minor portion of the cam 126 which is of greater diameter, and the bracket 104, 105 is in the elevated position illustrated in FIG. 3. The last 30 with the .partly assembled shoe 31 mounted thereon freely enters .the bracket 104, 105 descends toward a position in which the resilient membrane 116 engages the sole of the shoe as shown in FIG. 2. During the downward movement of the bracket 104, 105, the ratchet 123 slides spacedly past the teeth of the rack 125.

It is preferred that the downward movement of the bracket 104, 105 be stopped before theroller 122 actually engages the major face portion of the cam 126 in order to reduce wear of the cam and roller. The limit of downward bracket movement may be set by means of .the threaded stop 147 in such a manner that the roller 122 can approach the major cam face portion very closely but without actually touching it. The weight of the bracket 104, 105 is largely supported on the stop 147. Upward movement of the bracketis prevented by the click 123 engaging the rack 125 under the force of the spring 124. l

The cams 137 and 139 are arranged in such a manner that the plunger 136 is permitted to move outward of the cover 135, and the plunger 138 is held in its depressed position again-stthe force of the spring 149 when the bracket 104, 105 reaches the lowermost position of its stroke. This position of the valve is illustrated in FIG. 5. It permits compressed air at a suitably selected pressure to pass from the shut-off valve 128 to the air cushion 113. The air pressure in the cushion forceslthe membrane 116 conformingly against the sole and heel of the shoe, as is seenin FIGS. 4 and 6, while the toe portion of the last is backed by the bar 143. The pres- 'sure also forces the ratchet 123 into stationary engagement with the rack 125.

The shaft 65 makes one revolution while the conveyor makes an indexing step and pauses between steps. Before the conveyor resumes movement, and at a time suitably selected to permit air pressure in the cushion 113 to reach the value set by the valve 129, the cam 137 depresses the plunger 136 and blocks the supply of compressed air. Briefiy thereafter'the cam 13-9 releases the plunger 138 from the, position illustrated in FIG. 5, and the air held under pressure in the cushion 113 is permitted to escape to the atmosphere through 'the bore 158 and the port 155. The total period of applied air pressure need not be longer than about seconds to cause fastening of the sole to the bottom part of the vamp by the pressure sensitive adhesive previously applied.

Upon further rotation of the shaft 65, the cam 126 first pivots the lever 118 sufficiently to disengage the ratchet 123 from the rack 125 and to urge the arm 120 against the abutment 127, and then raises the bracket 104, 105 to lift the shell 107 with the air cushion 113 and the membrane 116 from the shoe to which the sole has been attached. The shoe is now free to travel on its last 30 to the next work station, not shown in the drawing, for a subsequent operation as the conveyor is indexed to position the next last 30 under the shell 107.

The sole fastening unit of the invention is readily adjusted for lasts of difierent sizes and shapes by shifting the slide 141, by adjusting the screw 110, and by changing the position of the lever 118. The pin 145 is accessible through the slots 101' and 102. It may be knocked out of its bearing in the openings 145 and reinserted in the openings 144 or 146. This changes the stroke of the bracket 104, 105. It will be understood that the position of the abutment 127 has to be adjusted accordingly.

The apparatus of the invention applies uniform pressure to the shoe sol-e and adheres it to the vamp in an entirely automatic operation. Neither manual labor nor an operators attention are required after the vamp has been pulled over the last and the sole has been ,placed inposition.

The sole fastening unit of the invention is sturdy and has few movable parts. These parts are not subject to rapid wear, and the unit requires little or no maintenance after its cam have been properly timed. Where a machine is run continuously, it is necessary to maintain a stock of spare parts for each unit. The sole fastening unit of this invention requires :a very small number of such spare parts to be stocked.

The unit is attached to the conveyor frame itself and does not require a significant amount of floor space beyond that occupied by the conveyor. Its length in 'the direction of conveyor movement is not greater than the minimum length. of an individual conveyor link 20 which in turn is determined by the practical minimum spacing of the lasts 30 on the conveyor. The sole fastening unit of the invention thus may be combined with other operating units of similar dimensions in an arrangement which spaces the units as closely as the lasts on the conveyor. The advantages of the resulting relatively short conveyor reside not only in savings of space, but also in lower first cost, operating expense, and maintenance charges.

Various modifications are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to by those skilled in the art'without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims, as only a preferred embodiment thereof has been disclosed.

What is claimed is:

'1. In a shoe manufacturing machine, in combination,

(a) a conveyor including a frame and belt means movable on said frame in a predetermined direction;

(b) a plurality of lasts spaced from each other in said direction, each last being mounted on said belt means and adapted for carrying a vamp and a sole placed on said vamp;

(0) drive means for actuating indexing movement of said belt means in such a manner that said soles are sequentially held stationary at a work station at said conveyor for a predetermined period;

(d) bracket means mounted on said frame at said work station;

'(e) expandable pressure cushion means on said bracket means, said bracket means being movable transversely of said predetermined direction toward and away from an operative position in which said pressure cushion means is closely adjacent a sole held stationary at said work station by said belt means;

(1) a supply of pressure fluid;

(g) valve means for alternatingly connecting said supply to said cushion means and venting said cushion means;

(It) rack-and-ratchet means having two cooperating members respectively secured on said frame and said bracket means and engageable for selectively securing said bracket means in said operative position thereof;

(1') first cam means synchronized with said drive means for moving said bracket means into said operative position, disengaging said rack-and-ratchet means, for thereupon moving said bracket means away from said operative position, said bracket means being moved into and away from said position during said predetermined period; and

(1') second cam means synchronized with said first cam means and operatively connected to said valve means for connecting said supply to said pressure cushion means while said bracket means is in said operative position thereof, and for thereafter venting said cushion means prior to movement of said bracket means away from said operative position by said first cam means.

2. In a machine as set forth in claim 1, resilient means for urging said members into engagement when said bracket means is in said operative position.

3. In a machine as set forth in claim 1, a shaft connected to said drive means for continuous rotation during said indexing movement of said belt means, said first and second cam means being mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith.

4. In a machine as set forth in claim 3, a two-armed lever member pivotable on said bracket means, one of the members of said rack-and-ratchet means being mounted on one arm of said lever member; cam follower means on the other arm of said lever member for engagement with said first cam means, said lever being moved by said cam means as said shaft rotates; and abutment means on said bracket means engageable with said lever member for limiting pivotal movement of said lever by said cam means, whereby said bracket means is moved by said first cam means when said lever member engages said abutment means.

5. In a machine as set forth in claim 4, a plurality of spaced bearings on said bracket means, pin means alternatingly insertable in respective ones of said bearings, said pin means carrying said lever member.

6. In a machine as set forth in claim 3, means for selectively fastening one of said cam means on said shaft in a plurality of positions angularly spaced about the axis of said shaft.

7. In a shoe manufacturing machine, in combination:

(a) a conveyor including a stationary frame and belt means movable on said frame in a predetermined direction;

(b) a plurality of lasts spacedly mounted on said belt means;

(a) first drive means for moving said belt means in indexing steps and for thereby sequentially holding said lasts stationary at a work station at said conveyor for a predetermined period;

(d) bracket means secured on said frame at said work station against movement in said direction;

(e) expandable cushion means on said bracket means;

(1'') a source of pressure fluid;

(g) second drive means for moving said bracket means at said work station transversely of said predetermined direction toward and away from an operative position in which said cushion means is adjacent a last at said station;

(h) vented valve means communicating with said 8 source and said cushion means and movable for expanding and for venting said cushion means by admission and release of said pressure fluid; and

-(i) actuating means for actuating said first drive means,

said second drive means, and said valve means in timed sequence.

-8. In a machine as set forth in claim 7, said actuating means including means for actuating said second drive means and said valve means during said predetermined period.

9. In a machine as set forth in claim 7, securing means mounted on said frame for selectively securing said bracket means in said operative position thereof.

10. In a machine as set forth in claim 9, said actuating means including means for actauting said second drive means, said valve means, and said securing means during said predetermined period.

11. In a machine as set forth in claim 10, said securing means including rack-and-ratchet means having two cooperating members respectively fastened to said frame and to said bracket means, and engageable for selectively securing said bracket means in said operative position thereof.

12. In a machine as set forth in claim 9, said securing means including rack-and-ratchet means having two cooperating members respectively fastened to said frame and to said bracket means, and engageable for selectively securing said bracket means in said operative position thereof.

13. In a machine as set forth in claim 7, said actuating means including a drive shaft, motor means for continuously rotating said drive shaft, and a plurality of cam means secured on said drive shaft for joint rotation, and respectively engageable with said second drive means and said valve means, said first drive means including motion motor continuously rotates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 881,478 Mayor Mar. 10, 1908 2,114,486 Gialdini Apr. 19, 1938 2,443,877 Vacin June 22, 1948 

1. IN A SHOE MANUFACTURING MACHINE, IN COMBINATION (A) A CONVEYOR INCLUDING A FRAME AND BELT MEANS MOVABLE ON SAID FRAME IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION; (B) A PLURALITY OF LASTS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN SAID DIRECTION, EACH LAST BEING MOUNTED ON SAID BELT MEANS AND ADAPTED FOR CARRYING A VAMP AND A SOLE PLACE ON SAID VAMP; (C) DRIVE MEANS FOR ACTUATING INDEXING MOVEMENT OF SAID BELT MEANS IN SUCH MANNER THAT SAID SOLES ARE SEQUENTIALLY HELD STATIONARY AT A WORK STATION AT SAID CONVEYOR FOR A PREDETERMINED PERIOD; (D) BRACKET MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AT SAID WORK STATION; (E) EXPANDABLE PRESSURE CUSHION MEANS ON SAID BRACKET MEANS, SAID BRACKET MEANS BEING MOVABLE TRANSVERSELY OF SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION TOWARD AND AWAY FROM AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID PRESSURE CUSHION MEANS IS CLOSELY ADJACENT A SOLE HELD STATIONARY AT SAID WORK STATION BY SAID BELT MEANS; (F) A SUPPLY OF PRESSURE FLUID; (G) VALVE MEANS FOR ALTERNATELY CONNECTING SAID SUPPLY TO SAID CUSHION MEANS AND VENTING SAID CUSHION MEANS; (H) RACK-AND-RATCHET MEANS HAVING TWO COOPERATING MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY SECURED ON SAID FRAME AND SAID BRACKET MEANS AND ENGAGEABLE FOR SELECTIVELY SECURING SAID BRACKET MEAMS IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION THEREOF; (I) FIRST CAM MEANS SYNCHRONIZED WITH SAID DRIVE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BRACKET MEANS INTO SAID OPERATIVE POSITION, DISENGAGING SAID RACK-AND-RATCHET MEANS, FOR THEREUPON MOVING SAID BRACKET MEANS AWAY FROM SAID OPERATIVE POSITION, SAID BRACKET MEANS BEING MOVED INTO AND AWAY FROM SAID POSITION DURING SAID PREDETERMINED PERIOD; AND (J) SECOND CAM MEANS SYNCHRONIZED WITH SAID FIRST CAM MEANS AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID VALVE MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID SUPPLY TO SAID PRESSURE CUSHION MEANS WHILE SAID BRACKET MEANS IS IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION THEREOF, AND FOR THEREAFTER VENTING SAID CUSHION MEANS PRIOR TO MOVEMENT OF SAID BRACKET MEANS AWAY FROM SAID OPERATIVE POSITION BY SAID FIRST CAM MEANS. 